


water and oil (terushima x reader)

by ronnie_ao3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Best Friends, College, Cuddling & Snuggling, Excessive Drinking, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, Opposites Attract, Partying, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25392133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronnie_ao3/pseuds/ronnie_ao3
Summary: Being Terushima's best friend has its ups and downs.Most of the time, he makes fun of your perfectionist sense of hygiene. He'll put you in a headlock on sight, especially if he's excited to see you (which is most times). He always crawls into bed with you to cuddle when he's feeling lonely (which, again, is most times).But the worst part about being his closest friend, his 'person', his confidante? When you can't help but realize you're falling in love with the guy.
Relationships: Terushima Yuuji/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

You narrowed your eyes, scrubbing hard at a particularly stubborn piece of food. 

You smirked in victory when it came off, leaving a shiny, clean pan in its wake; perfection. Throwing the sponge to the side, you rinsed the pan off and set it on the drying rack, returning to the sink to rinse your hands off.

Glancing to the running dishwasher you'd filled moments earlier, you turned to face the empty apartment, leaning against the counter. The afternoon sun cast golden rays through the kitchen window, illuminating the hardwood floors and crappy furniture

 _'He's still not back yet.'_ You thought, mood souring and face falling as you took in the lack of sound in the room. Terushima was always out later than he said he'd be, that was just a fact of life. 

It was often because he got distracted with a friend, or a party, or a girl. One of the three. The thought of the last one made your nose crinkle in disgust, though you really had no reason to be upset about Terushima's love life. The pair of you had been best friends since middle school, when you'd stumbled into him on the first day.

He'd laughed at your petrified face, introducing himself and dragging you along with him the second he realized you were in the same class as him. 

"I have a feeling we're gonna be pretty great friends." Terushima had said, giving you a winning smile as you were pulled along by the arm.

Honestly, you had no idea what possessed him to do that in the first place, and every time you asked, he would shrug and say "Aren't you glad I did?"; and boy, were you. Meeting Terushima was one of the best things to have happen to you. Being a rather quiet person yourself, his buoyantly outgoing personality was perfect when the pair of you were out and about. 

In some ways, Terushima brought you out of your shell. Now, this is mostly because of the excessive partying the guy did, because he'd drag you along to those too. You grew to enjoy them, but certainly not at first.

You'd actually first met a couple of really good friends at one of the freshman college parties he brought you to, Bokuto and Akaashi. The three of you hit it off pretty well, being in similar majors. First it was the party, then a few common classes, and now it was straight-up hanging out.

You sort of owed it to Terushima, but that didn't completely make up for his shortcomings. Taking a quick walk to your shared bathroom reminded of you of that, and you cringed in disgust at the state of the toilet. It was his turn to clean the bathroom, and he hadn't yet done it. 

Glancing at the chore sheet on the wall, you let out an exasperated sound and rolled your eyes. Damn you, Terushima. 

The front door suddenly opened with a bang, and you snapped your head up, stalking out of the bathroom to yell at him. 

"Damn it, Yuuji, why the fuck haven't you cleaned the bathroom-?" You had started to bark at the bleach-blonde, but trailed off when you saw he wasn't alone. 

Terushima was currently engaged in a rather violent-looking make-out with a girl you'd never seen before in your life; the front door was still ajar, his keys were in one hand and her butt was in the other. He hadn't even heard you speak, and continued to shove his tongue down Miss Brunette's throat.

 _'Didn't he know I'd be home?'_ You thought, as you watched in horror at the scene before you, a look of utter revulsion on your face. 

"Hey, asshole!" You shouted at the pair, far louder this time. Terushima's eyes flew open, knowing exactly who was talking and who was being called an asshole, and promptly disentangled himself from the girl, who looked disappointed.

Upon seeing you, she glared. You raised a brow at her, not planning on apologizing for being a cock block. 

"Oh, hey dude!" He said, clambering over to you. Ignoring your death look, Terushima bent you over and forced you into a headlock, ruffling your hair.

You squirmed and shouted for him to get off, feeling even angrier than before.

Finally throwing him away from you, you huffed, raking a hand through your hair. Miss Brunette gave you a snide laugh.

"This is Polly, by the way." Terushima said, bouncing back over to 'Polly' and snaking an arm around her. She looked incredulously at him.

"Um, it's Molly." She snapped at him, shoving his arm off of her and taking a step away. Terushima looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, wow, I'm sor-" He didn't get the chance to finish his apology, she was already out the door, slamming it behind her.

You let out a guffaw, and Terushima shot a glare at you.

"Dummy." You choked out, still laughing rudely with your hands at your sides. 

"It's not my fault I didn't know her name, we just met like ten minutes ago!" He said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. You rolled your eyes, straightening back up.

"And you wonder why people call you an asshole." 

Terushima pretended to look offended, but threateningly shook a finger at you.

"I'll put you in another headlock."

"Seriously though," you started, recalling your earlier qualm with his cleanliness, "can you clean the damn bathroom? You were supposed to do that yesterday." Terushima rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh.

"Ugh, come on, Y/N. You're way better at cleaning than I am, can't you just do it?!" 

Cracking your knuckles, you gave him a swift punch to the shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Like hell I can, I just did the dishes. Besides, I'm meeting Akaashi and Bokuto soon." You said, turning to enter your room. You glanced at Terushima's room, which was directly across the hall from yours; the door was ajar, and you could see inside the crusty room.

Cringing, you gagged as you saw piles of dirty laundry and snack wrappers littering the floor. You were surprised cockroaches hadn't infested the apartment.

Terushima followed you into your room, but you ignored him as you shuffled around, spraying perfume on yourself and grabbing your shoes. It was only after you pulled your covers up, adjusting the throw pillows on your bed, that he spoke, and you cared to look over.

"I'm so horny." 

That made you choke on your spit, looking over at him with widened eyes.

"Um, okay? Sorry your sexual escapade decided to ditch, but that was _not_ my fault."

Terushima narrowed his eyes at you, giving a 'uh-huh, right' kind of sarcastic look.

"Come on, when girls come over here, they take one look at you and leave." He said accusingly, flopping onto your bed and messing up the pillows you'd just adjusted. Eye twiching, you glared at the bleach-blond man.

"Sorry my sex appeal intimidates your gal pals." You said sarcastically, carrying your purse and shoes out the door of your room. Terushima followed you, sitting next to you on the couch as you pulled your shoes on. 

"Please, you're flat as hell. It's definitely not your sex appeal that scares them off." He said, putting an arm around you and grinning. 

You resisted the urge to punch his lights out, and stood, shaking his arm off you. If it had been anyone else, they'd be laid out on the floor. But you'd weathered worse from Terushima in the past, and were sort of used to the blatant abuse.

"Shut the fuck up, I'm literally so sexy." You said, sashaying to the door and giving Terushima a twirl, winking as you did so. You could've sworn you saw him gulp, even go a little pink in the cheeks, and smirked.

"Cat got your tongue? Or maybe it's just that piercing, I'm surprised you haven't gotten an STI with that thing in your mouth." You said, giving him the stink-eye. The blush faded quickly from his cheeks, and he looked appalled and a little hurt. 

"How rude!" He said, shooting to his feet and starting to stalk to his room. 

"I'll be back later! You shouted to him, and he responded with the finger, slamming his door shut. Laughing to yourself, you exited the apartment, locking the door behind you.

 _'Maybe I shouldn't tease him so much'_ , you thought to yourself, a shit-eating grin crossing your face. Terushima could be a little shit, but you truly loved him.

The tongue piercing insult might have gone a little far, but to be fair, you'd been there with him when he got it done, so that gave you the right. You might bad-mouth it sometimes, but that little piece of metal in your friend's tongue was actually pretty hot.

You scoffed at yourself for thinking that way, going slightly red. 

\---

Bokuto and Akaashi were waiting at a table at your favorite cafe, and they'd already ordered for you.

You smiled upon seeing the steaming hazelnut coffee in front of your empty place, and they greeted you warmly.

"Hey, man!" Bokuto exclaimed, waving. From the way he was jittering, it seemed he and Akaashi had been there long enough to down at least three cups of coffee.

"Hey, guys! You seem pretty caffeine'd up, huh?" You said, laughing as you sat.

Akaashi rolled his eyes, a soft smile lighting up his handsome features. 

"This one definitely is." He said, bumping Bokuto's shoulder. 

"Am not! Just getting warmed up for tonight's party." Bokuto said loudly, and you suddenly remembered he was hosting a party at his place (or, he _and_ Akaashi's place, they roomed together). Part of you was excited to get wasted, but the other part was still focused on Terushima, specifically on how he would be grinding on any girl to get within two feet of him at said party.

Noticing your sullen look, Akaashi spoke up, eyes boring into you.

"Worried about something?"

You jumped slightly, not realizing your thoughts were so transparent.

"U-Uh, yeah it's just -"

"-Terushima?" Bokuto finished your sentence for you, and your jaw dropped.

"Well, yeah. He barged into the apartment with his tongue jammed down the esophagus of some brunette chick. Apparently they'd only met ten minutes before." You said, scowling into your cup before taking an angry sip.

"Oh, jealous?" Akaashi said, eyes flashing with that horrible intuition of his. You frowned at him.

"Hardly." 

"Come on, Y/N, you've been besties with the guy for like a decade. It's okay to admit you have a bit of a crush on him!" Bokuto continued, looking smug as he sipped his fourth cup of coffee. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." You said forcefully, flushing. A crush on Terushima?

You chewed your lip, bringing your cup back up to your mouth and taking a slow sip. It was true, the thought of Terushima actually falling in love with someone else irked you, but that's just because you'd have to deal with him bringing a girlfriend around all the time, being all kissy and stuff. 

The thought made your blood boil, and that surprised you. Eyes widening, you pounded the table with a balled-up fist, causing your coffee to spill over the sides of its cup.

"Damn it, I have a crush on Yuuji." You said, not noticing the bottom of your sleeve slowly get soaked in coffee as the liquid spread.

Akaashi sighed, getting up to grab napkins. Bokuto wiggled his eyebrows at you, smirking.

"Better make your move before some other girl can. Sounds like this afternoon was a close call."

You scoffed.

"Please, as if Yuuji would ever feel the same. Have you seen the guy? He only likes pretty girls." You said, face falling. Is this really how little you think of yourself? Bokuto looked at your incredulously, echoing your thoughts

"How can you say that? You're gorgeous, bro."

"Thanks, but he's more superficial than I give him credit for." You said, rolling your eyes.

All those years of high school yielded quite an extensive porno library for Terushima, and coming across them by surprise one day in your second year wasn't fun in the slightest. That had been the one and only time you'd attempted cleaning his room, and those dirty magazines from under his bed had turned you off that idea for good.

"That may be true, but the guy spends nearly all his time with you. Remember that party at Kuroo's?" Bokuto said seriously, perking up at the end and giving you a winning smile. Kuroo's party.

True, you supposed Terushima hadn't left your side the entire time, except to use the bathroom, though even then he tried to pull you along. Chalking it up to his drunkness, you rolled your eyes and looked at Bokuto.

"He was drunk as shit and didn't really know anyone. Of course he'd stick by me." You said, shaking your head.

"No, he knew plenty of people, he just preferred your company." Bokuto insisted, a smile growing on his owl-like face.

You paused, wondering. Could that really be true? 

"Still, knowing him, he'll run off at the first sign of any hot girls on the dance floor. There's no way I'm going tonight just to watch that." You said sullenly, sinking back into your denial. 

"Yeah, but wouldn't you rather be there to stop it then and there, instead of waiting at home, thinking the worst?" Bokuto said as Akaashi returned with napkins, and he made a pretty good point. 

You sighed, taking a napkin and sopping up your wet sleeve. 

"You got me there." 

Bokuto brightened.

"So you'll go?"

"...I guess."

Akaashi looked between the two of you.

"What did I miss?"

"Y/N doesn't want to go to our party because Terushima's a horndog and she has a crush on him but it's better that she show up to fight off any hot girls that look Terushima's way than sit at home crying about it." Bokuto said, quickly. You smacked him on the shoulder.

"Don't put it so bluntly."

Akaashi digested Bokuto's words before responding.

"Yeah, good idea."

Akaashi waited until the three of you had finished up your drinks and cleared the table off; while you were throwing out some trash across the cafe, he turned to Bokuto, that familiar gleam in his eye.

"I've got a plan. Getting Terushima and Y/N together will be a piece of cake." He whispered to Bokuto, who grinned.

"I'm in." 

\---

You ended up getting home just as the sun set, the light illuminating your apartment door having clicked on in response to the darkening surroundings.

Turning the key in the door, you found Terushima bench-pressing in the living room, shirtless.

Your jaw dropped, the sight of your best friend's muscled torso covered with a light sheen of sweat nearly too much to handle. Terushima grunted his hello, raising the bar once more. Glancing at the time, you furrowed your brow in his direction. 

Why was he working out so late? Bokuto's party started in less than half an hour.

Shaking your head, you kicked your shoes off and padded to your room.

You emerged a couple minutes later, in a new, cute outfit, to see Terushima finishing up. He stood, stretching with a groan, and you ogled his six-pack shamelessly. You only broke your stare at the sound of a laugh.

"Like what you see, huh?" 

Going bright red, you glared at Terushima's smirking face, laughter in his eyes.

"S-Shut up, dumbass!" 

You shoved him, making a disgusted face when your hands came up with sweat. Terushima rolled his eyes, turning to walk down the hall.

"I'm gonna shower before heading over to Bokuto's, did you wanna carpool?"

You nodded wordlessly, flopping onto the couch and watching his disappearing back, rippled with toned muscle.

Perks of being on the volleyball team, you supposed.

It didn't take long for Terushima to shower and change, though you were lightly dozing by the time he emerged from his room, hair still wet but fully dressed in jeans and a tee. The man chuckled at your sleeping form, creeping over and putting his face dangerously close to yours.

He whispered, "Boo." 

Your eyes flew open, and you screamed at seeing his face so close to yours, kicking out with your legs and getting him in the crotch.

"MOTHERFU-" Terushima yelled, doubling over in pain.

You shot up, breathing very fast.

"What is wrong with you?!" You shouted, waving your arms at Terushima, who didn't respond. He was still clutching his crotch, a pained expression on his face.

"Ugh, let's just go." You said, annoyed as you dragged the crumpled man out the door.

Terushima picked himself up by the time you got to the car, and he chucked the keys at you.

"Since you tried damaging the boys, you get to drive us." 

You cringed upon hearing 'the boys', catching the keys reluctantly.

"Fine, fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was in my drafts, and I'll probably edit it a little bit in the future, but here's part one for now :) 
> 
> Terushima deserves more love than he gets, even though he's kind of a douche (unpopular opinion lol); I hope you guys enjoy this little series though, I couldn't get the idea out of my head :D


	2. Chapter 2

The car ride wasn't all that eventful; Terushima pressed all the buttons in the car, pissing you off thoroughly. Instead of punching him in the face, you kept your hands clenched to the steering wheel, eyes glued to the dark road, lit by street lamps.

You finally shoved your phone in his face, telling him to pick a playlist with such venom that all the man could do was meekly accept the device.

Arriving at Bokuto's apartment was like getting to heaven's door; you literally kicked the childish man out of the car, listening to his yelp with a smile before getting out yourself.

Sure, you had feelings for Terushima, deep ones. He was the most important person in the world to you, and that wasn't an exaggeration. The lengths you'd go to for this man if he needed you were limitless; that didn't, however, mean he wasn't the most immature, annoying, infuriating person you knew. 

"Oh, come on! Perk up a little, dragon lady! You look like your bossy old grandma!" 

Your eye twitched at his words, and this time, you really did punch his lights out. 

"Shut up, Yuuji. You know parties freak me out sometimes, I only go to them because of you."

Terushima winced before straightening up, and you realized just how much taller he was than you; he'd grown a lot since middle school, that was for sure, and while you knew this fact (living with him meant seeing his height every day, of course), it was still a shock.

Patting you on the head, the man gave you a grin and a thumbs-up, bouncing back from your punch with grace and poise.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten. Don't you worry your pretty little head, babe, we can leave whenever you feel like it."

Your heart melted, and a smile worked its way across your face.

"R-Really?"

"Of course! I never want my best pal feeling down." 

Ruffling your hair, Terushima let himself into Bokuto's apartment. Your heart sank into your stomach, a puddle of feelings. Being Terushima's 'best pal' was pretty awesome, but it might be nice to be something more to him. Like...the person he kissed, you know? And did - other things - with. You blushed, mind diving into the gutter at that thought.

Sighing, you half-heartedly followed the man into the loud, blaring environment of Bokuto's party. 

The silver-haired bouncy man was nowhere to be seen, the tight-knit crowd of people hard to move through.

You saw many people you didn't know, their faces blank to you, but brightening upon seeing Terushima. Typical, you thought to yourself, rolling your eyes. 

Your fellow college students beamed at your best friend, forming a kind of circle around him; some frat boys smacked Terushima on the back, going on about last night's football game, while a gaggle of pretty girls were desperately trying to get the bleach-blond's attention, swooning and giggling in an annoying way.

In the bustle, you were pushed outside of the ring of people, and left to stand awkwardly on the perimeter. A girl gave you a disgusted look, muttering to her friend before returning her attention to Terushima, giggling and laughing.

A couple guys in the ring laughed at you, asking who you were and what you were doing here. You didn't bother to answer, and they too, looked back to Terushima, who unfortunately hadn't heard any of their words. He would've done something if he'd seen, you were sure of it. If only you weren't so gutless, you could fend off assholes yourself. 

You watched Terushima smile and laugh along with his 'friends', heart sinking. He would have a better time with them, you thought, slinking towards the kitchen. 

Along the way, you found Akaashi, who already had a drink in hand.

"Hey, there." The quiet man smiled at you.

"Where's Terushima?" Akaashi asked, a look of confusion working onto his handsome face. 

"Some people distracted him, I think they're friends of his." You said, forcing a smile onto your face.

"Ah, that's rough."

A brief silence, and Akaashi grabbed your arm reassuringly.

"Let's get you something to drink."

Nodding, you allowed yourself to be steered into the kitchen, and Akaashi opened the fridge, sighing heavily at its contents.

"You throw a party and people think it's okay to take whatever they want, huh?" Akaashi's voice was bitter, and you laughed, accepting as he offered you a hard seltzer. It was grapefruit-flavored, which was your favorite. You smiled at Akaashi, appreciative that he'd remembered.

You snapped the can open, taking a grateful sip. 

At that moment, Bokuto bounded into the kitchen, dragging Kuroo with him. 

"OH HEY, IT'S Y/N!" He all but squealed, dropping Kuroo and crushing you in a hug. Gasping for air, you shoved Bokuto away, nearly choking on your seltzer. The man teetered, and Kuroo steadied him, looking haggard. It was clear Kuroo had been appointed Bokuto's babysitter for the night.

"Hey, Y/N." Kuroo said to you, giving his signature lopsided grin.

"Hey, yourself. Doing okay with Bokuto?" You asked, slight concern in your voice. Kuroo laughed, waving his free arm around as he sipped his own drink.

"Piece of cake."

"If you say so. I can always take over if you want to take a break." You said sincerely, and the black-haired man smiled.

"I'd take you up on that, but Akaashi and Bokuto say -"

"SHHHH!" Bokuto said angrily to Kuroo, smacking a hand over the man's mouth. Akaashi rolled his eyes as Bokuto pouted.

"Don't say anything, Kuroo!"

You raised a brow.

"Don't say anything about what, Bokuto?"

The silver-haired man's eyes widened to the size of saucers at your stern look, but Akaashi spoke.

"It's nothing. We just were hoping to dance with you tonight, and that would be hard if you were constantly worrying about Bokuto."

Bokuto nodded violently, though he couldn't suppress a giggle. Kuroo smacked his shoulder, and he quieted down.

Blinking at the trio, you narrowed your eyes. Something was going on, regardless of what Akaashi said.

"Okay, yeah, dancing sounds fun."

You grinned at them, pushing the suspicious feeling aside as Bokuto threw an arm around your shoulders.

"YAY, LET'S GO!"

You were dragged to another room, where music was playing rather loudly. Terushima was there, dancing with the same group of friends as before; you grimaced, not wanting to deal with them again. Terushima didn't see you as you were pulled through the crowd towards him by Bokuto, Akaashi and Kuroo following with amused looks on their faces. 

Terushima's friends were rather annoying, giving you the same contemptuous glares as before, and Bokuto narrowed his eyes at them, his grip on your arm tightening reassuringly. You laughed when he told them to buzz off, as he sounded completely ridiculous in his drunken state.

They stared at him, flabbergasted as the bird-looking man glared at them. Luckily, Kuroo stepped in, echoing Bokuto's threat with a much calmer, intimidating presence. He smiled at the group, repeating his words, and they dispersed, muttering about what buzzkills they were. 

Terushima frowned at the four of you.

"What's wrong?"

Akaashi spoke up, to your surprise.

"Those guys were being assholes to Y/N earlier."

Terushima's eyes widened, and he looked at you.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

You shrugged, fidgeting.

"No big deal, they're your friends and all."

"Tch, say something next time. And as for those guys, consider them dropped. No one treats my best friend like crap, except for me." You had been smiling stupidly at his words, but scowled at that last part, grunting in protest as Terushima ruffled your hair.

"C-Cut it out!" You snapped, but the bleach-blond only laughed, starting to dance once more.

Soon, all five of you were laughing, dancing ridiculously to the blaring music. Bokuto was a hazard, flailing himself around on the dance floor and knocking into people, and Kuroo rushed to corral him while you and Akaashi laughed your asses off.

"Hey, I'm gonna go do shots. Wanna do them with me?" 

Your face went bright red. Terushima had bent down to your level, placing a hand on your waist as he whispered in your ear. Your brain turned to mush in that moment, and you were certain you were short-circuiting from the feeling.

"U-Um -" You started, but Akaashi cut you off, pushing you further into Terushima.

"Of course she would! Have fun, you two."

You shot an angry look at Akaashi as Terushima led you back towards the kitchen, and he gave you a thumbs-up, whispering something to Kuroo as he did so. The taller man snickered, before looking around and realizing Bokuto was gone.

You laughed to yourself as Kuroo jumped, jerking his head from side to side in search of his charge. Knowing Bokuto, he was on the roof of the building, harrassing a stray cat, going "pspspsps" as it blatantly ignored him. It was just too classic.

Terushima cleared his throat, and you turned your head, seeing he'd lined up some shots on the counter. Gulping, you counted them up; eight. Four for each of you.

"Who's going to drive us home after all this?" You asked, your head fast-forwarding to the point in the night where you'd want to go home, but couldn't because you'd be tipsy.

"We can Uber! I'll pay." 

At the sound of 'I'll pay', you perked up, grabbing a shot and downing it. Your face screwed up at the taste, and you coughed as Terushima handed you a cup of what appeared to be soda. 

"It's Coke, I'd never forget that you're such a baby you need a chaser." Terushima said smugly, and you flipped him off, but took a sip nonetheless. Surely enough, it was Coke. You put your cup down to find that Terushima was already on his second shot.

Eyes widening, you grabbed your second one, not ready to be overtaken. Always a competition.

By the time the pair of you returned to the dance floor, it was clear the two of you were smashed. Your moves were sloppy, and your vision was a little blurry. You saw Akaashi's face, looking the slightest bit concerned, and grinned at him.

"Wha's the problem, 'Kaashi?" 

The dark-haired man smiled back, a devilish look in his eye. You tilted your head to ask what that was about, but before you could, Akaashi shoved you into Terushima. You gasped as Terushima caught you.

"Whoa there, you okay? Guess four was a bit too much, huh?" 

Terushima's voice in your ear was almost too much for your drunk self to handle, and you bit your lip, trying to take a step away, but nearly falling over. 

Hands grabbed your waist, and you heard that godly voice again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Gotta be careful, or you'll fall. Here, I gotcha. We can dance together."

You suddenly found yourself moving back and forth, guided by Terushima, who was pressed against your back. The feeling of the man so close to you was perfect, and you wanted to be even closer to that warmth. Sighing, you moved against Terushima, pushing against him, and heard a gasp from him.

You almost paused, to ask if he was okay, but his hands on your hips began moving you back and forth, asking you wordlessly to continue.

Blushing, you felt a surge of confidence in your addled state, grinding shamelessly on your best friend. Terushima gasped again, but a glance over your shoulder told you it was in pleasure. The bleach-blond had an uncharacteristic blush on his face, and he bit his lip and he pushed his crotch against your ass, grinding back. 

Akaashi, who'd been dancing near the pair of you, turned to see how you guys were doing, and his jaw dropped.

Kuroo came up to him, dragging Bokuto along with him; sure enough, the owl-like man was whining about how the cat from the roof ran away from him when he tried to pet it. Noticing Akaashi's stare, Kuroo looked in the same direction and gasped.

By this point, Terushima was basically dry-humping you, while you were a moaning mess, enjoying it.

"Holy shitballs, did you do that?" 

Kuroo said accusingly to Akaashi, jabbing a finger in your direction. Flushing, the addressed man shrugged.

"I just pushed her into him, I didn't think -"

"They're both horny as shit and have repressed feelings for each other, what did you _think_ would happen?!" Kuroo whisper-yelled, as Bokuto finally noticed you and Terushima on the dance floor. Bokuto gasped loudly and widened his eyes, pointing at the two of you in shock.

"OH MY GOD THEY'RE-" Akaashi slapped a hand over the silver-haired man's mouth, and Kuroo sighed.

"What should we do? People are starting to notice." Kuroo said quietly to Akaashi, and it was true. Other party-goers were staring at the spectacle you and Terushima were currently putting on, whispering to each other indistinctly.

"Let's just separate them, get them outside." Akaashi said, reaching over to pat Bokuto on the back, gaining his attention. "Hey, Bo, can you order an Uber for them?"

Bokuto nodded, grabbing his phone and starting to tap at it. Kuroo nonchalantly grabbed Terushima's shoulder, pulling him away from you; the blond whirled around, looking a tad angry at being forcibly moved.

"Let's go, pal." Kuroo all but dragged Terushima towards the exit, while you looked around, confused at the lack of contact. Meeting Akaashi's kind but firm expression, you cocked your head, asking a silent question. 

Akaashi held back a laugh, pushing a water bottle into your arms and guiding you gently out of the loud environment. "Come on, hon." Suddenly appreciative of the support Akaashi's arms are providing, you lean against him.

Your feet were a little uncoordinated, you couldn't help but notice as you almost tripped on the door-jam.

"No, no, I got you." 

You cleared the threshold, only because of Akaashi's amazing reflexes. You shot him a grin, the water you'd just sipped dribbling out of your mouth. The dark-haired man sighed, rubbing his temple with a free hand and taking the water bottle out of your grip before you could spill it everywhere.

"Wher's Yuuji? I ca' see him." You mumbled drunkenly, tossing your head back and forth. 

"He's right here." Akaashi was patiently pointing to Kuroo and Terushima's shadowy figures, which were standing by your car, and you squinted, trying to focus your gaze. 

"Yuuuji!" You called, ripping yourself away from Akaashi and rushing over to your best friend.

A second later, you found yourself looking not at Terushima, but at a grey expanse of concrete. "Wha?" You mutter, blinking several times. How did you get here? You couldn't even feel the pain in your knees, just a dull throb.

Akaashi pulled you up by your armpits, and you shouted, "Assault! Assault! Yuuji, help!"

"If you ever feed her this much alcohol again, I will personally kick your ass." Akaashi said calmly, wrapping one of your arms around his neck and lifting you to a solid standing position. Terushima smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, 'Kaashi."

"Uber's almost here." Bokuto had shuffled out of the apartment to join you all in the cool night air, and he was giggling as he spoke. "You guys really are horny, huh?" The over-active man said, pointing at you and Terushima. 

You felt your cheeks warm, and it wasn't from the vodka. Spluttering, you found yourself unable to meet Terushima's eye, scooting closer to Akaashi in embarrassment.

"I..." You started, as the silence grew. Terushima stared at you, equally red as visions of you grinding against him from before flashed through his head. He smirked, having thoroughly enjoyed himself, but realized you looked downright miserable. You still refused to look him in the eye.

Kuroo cleared his throat.

"Uber just pulled up."

"Thank God." You muttered, thanking Akaashi for walking you outside and feeding you water. "Don't worry about it, just make sure Terushima does the same when you guys get home." A quick nod from you seemed to satisfy the handsome-faced man, and he carefully helped you into the car.

Your vision had cleared slightly, and you felt slightly more sober than before. 

Terushima piled into the Uber after you, waving goodbye to your friends.

"So..." He started, a tad awkwardly, "...do you want to talk about what happened?" 

You flushed, looking pointedly out the window into the dark night; streetlights flew by as the Uber driver sped down the streets, not saying a word. 

"Not really. It's kind of embarrassing." You finally said, chancing a glance over at your best friend's face.

It was shadowed, and you could hardly make out his expression in the darkened car, but you could have sworn you saw disappointment. Your heart twisted, embarrassment bubbling to the surface once more, and you looked back out the window.

"Y-Yeah, I get that. Sorry I...did that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." 

Terushima's words were full of a strange longing, and you turned your head to look at him. Shock painted your face as you realized he was crying; your best friend, the most confident, obnoxious person you knew, had tears in his eyes.

"Hey...are you okay?" You scooted closer to him, reaching the end of your seatbelt with a tug and undoing it with a click. 

"What's with you? I'm not uncomfortable, Yuuji, you're my person - the closest one, closest person." Chewing your lip, you gave Terushima a smile.

"Let's just forget it." Your words hurt Terushima more than he could say, and he remained silent. He cursed himself for crying, but that was just the alcohol in him; being a typical 'happy drunk' didn't mean rejection by someone you loved was any easier to weather. It seemed the vodka had turned on him, dragging him into that feeling of discomfort he rarely got.

The look in Terushima's eyes was unreadable, and an unsettling feeling bore a hole in your stomach. Something wasn't right, but you didn't know how to fix it. You settled for glancing back out the window, eyes resting on the full moon, white and glimmering above.

***

Arriving home was a blessing. Entering the warmth of the apartment was a god-send, the familiar smell of scented candles (yours) mixed with that of a semi-cheap cologne (Terushima's) filling your nostrils.

You trudged into your room, dropping your bag and forcing off your shoes. Stripping off your clothes and undergarments, you tugged on an over-sized shirt and a pair of Terushima's boxers. They were far more comfortable than your own underwear, and you'd snagged a few of the nicer pairs for occasions like this.

You were properly exhausted from the party, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. The digital clock on your nightstand blinked '3:12am' as you crawled into bed, closing your eyes and sighing.

Terushima was a big boy, you told yourself. He'd be just fine, probably be back to his usual annoying self in no time.

Not long after you settled in, you felt a warm body slide into bed next to you, and your eyes opened blearily in the darkness. 

"Yuuji?" You murmured. 

"I...can't sleep."

Terushima's voice was small, which was uncharacteristic for him. You rolled your eyes. 

"Probably because your bed's a mattress on the ground, covered in trash and dirty underwear."

The man laughed, snuggling up to you.

"I haven't even mentioned you wearing my boxers, you know." 

"Mmn." 

You allowed your eyelids to slide shut once more. This wasn't the first time Terushima had jumped into bed with you, being the touch-starved bastard he is. You never really minded, even going so far as to appreciate the body contact.

It was surreal, those nights your best friend would hold you close to him, clinging to you as though you were a lifeline, and he a drowning man. You had to admit, the first time he'd crawled into your bed on a sleepover, you smacked him on the face; fourteen-year-old Terushima had looked at you miserably in response, begging to be next to you.

'The nightmares-', he'd said, '-they won't go away.'

Being the middle of the night, and because you were already ridiculously close to Terushima, fourteen-year-old you had reluctantly nodded at him; his reaction had been priceless, his eyes lighting up like stars as he dove under the covers, grinning from ear to ear.

'If you try anything, I'll rip your dick off.' You remember saying this, fully meaning it, to the boy, who'd gulped and sworn to keep his thing to himself. 

Terushima always acted all high and mighty in public, whether it was in class, or on the quad with his friends, or hitting on some girl, but you knew it was just that - an act. Being overconfident to make up for one's insecurities, everyone did it. But it was likely that you were the only person in the world who knew just how lonely Terushima was, and how caring he could be.

You shifted to lay on your side, facing away from the man, who eagerly went to spoon you.

"You're a baby, you know." You found yourself mumbling into your duvet. Terushima's arms snaked around your waist, holding you close as he buried his face between your shoulder blades. You couldn't help but smile into your duvet as you heard his next words, relaxing into his touch.

"Shut up." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mans do be touch-starved, I firmly believe that. Also four shots ain't a lot, but I definitely feel like the reader's a lightweight, no tea no shade.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning found you scrubbing the tiled kitchen floor.

Fire was in your heart, along with a burning determination to hit the cleaning on this fine Saturday morning. You'd woken up hangover-free, thanks to Akaashi's work force-feeding you water the night before.

Plus, you were never one to get hangovers. That was another reason Terushima dragged you to every party he attended - he knew you could handle it. As for the overactive bleach-blond, the word 'hangover' wasn't in his vocabulary. He was a heavyweight through and through, blessed with the ability to avoid any nasty headaches from his drinking escapades.

All the same, you felt a tension in your little apartment, building in the air as you swiped a soapy sponge across the white tiles. 

Part of you was tempted to say something, to break this suffocating silence, but you settled for the sounds of your rag and sponge.

Last night lingered in your mind, and you were certain it lingered in Terushima's as well. Things might not go back to normal as quickly as you'd hoped, judging from the man's current behavior.

At least the pair of you were able to cuddle without things being weird, you thought to yourself as you squeezed dirty water into a bucket.

You'd woken up before him, untangling yourself from the grabby, sleeping man to go shower. Terushima had woken up to the sound of water running, sun splayed across your bed in jagged stretches, illuminating his tanned skin.

He'd blinked a few times, before glancing to his side to see you weren't there. A frown had crossed the man's face as he recalled last night's events, which to be honest, were still a little fuzzy. The one thing that he remembered: something happened, you were embarrassed by it, and it had been his fault.

Exchanging morning greetings had been clipped and somewhat awkward, it almost made you cringe away. But apart from that, Terushima acted normal enough, joking around and being his usual hyperactive self.

"Ugh, finally." 

You clawed your way up the lower cupboards, grabbing the counter and pulling yourself up to admire your work on the kitchen floor. Being hunched over for an hour wasn't great for your back, but you beamed at the now-shiny tiles, watching it sparkle in the morning light. 

_Splat!_

You watched in horror as a splash of obscure food-liquid hit the floor, looking up to see Terushima passing through to the sink. 

"YUUJI, YOU BONEHEAD!" Your enraged screams echoed around the apartment, and Terushima was sure the neighbors would complain. 

The man chuckled, still holding his half-empty soup-bowl at an angle - the reason those drips occurred in the first place.

"Sorry, dude." There was an edge to his voice, and his tone was a shell of the mirth he usually gave off.

He dumped his bowl unceremoniously into the sink, wiping his hands on a dishtowel and going to flop onto the couch. You trembled with anger, looking from the spilled soup to the un-rinsed bowl in the sink - he hadn't even filled it with water! 

"Asshole." You muttered to yourself, grabbing a rag to mop up the tomato soup. 

"What was that?" Terushima called from the couch, and you rolled your eyes. You'd been in such a decent mood, cleaning the apartment, but he just had to go and fuck with it. You could cut the tension filling your apartment with a knife, and knew that your off-handed remark hadn't been the smartest, given the current climate of your friendship.

All the same, you were furious with him.

"I said you're an _asshole_!" You spat, tossing the rag aside and picking up your still-wet, soapy sponge to wipe up the residue. 

Terushima let out an angry sound, leaping up from his spot on the couch to brandish his finger at you.

"Yeah, well you're a shithead!"

"Oh, _very_ clever." You drawled sarcastically, anger seeming to fuel your venomous outburst. It coursed through your veins, and you could hardly believe just how pissed-off you were at the bleach-blond man in front of you.

"You're such a pain!" He shouted at you, and you drew back slightly when you saw he looked _genuinely_ angry.

"Well, at least I can clean up after myself! You're such a slob!" You yelled, scrubbing the floor aggressively. Terushima scoffed, throwing his hands up, "Beats being a clean-freak like you, always getting off to a shiny surface like some kind of weirdo!"

You were shocked and hurt at that last part, throwing your sponge down with a wet splat. Pushing yourself to your feet, you grabbed the bucket of dirty mop-water that had been resting to the side, neatly tucked away from your workspace. 

"Oh, what, are you gonna dump the water all over me? That'd be pretty damn childish of you." Terushima's words were full of scorn, and your lip trembled, tears filling your eyes.

"Y-You're the childish one. A-Always s-so fucking _mean_ , Yuuji." You managed, sniffling as you dumped the water in the sink, putting your back to him. Tears were streaming down your face, and Terushima blinked, mouth agape.

You were crying? Why? 

Was that because of him? You never cried. 

Thoughts flew through Terushima's mind, and he approached you cautiously, putting an arm on your shoulder. You flinched away from him, still angry.

"Fuck off." You spat, throwing the bucket aside and pushing past the guilty man.

Terushima stood in the empty kitchen, feeling like a piece of shit. He nudged the fallen bucket with his foot, jamming his hands in his pockets and huffing. You were just so complicated.

He thought he'd been clear the night before, that he wanted to be with you. Putting himself out on the line like that, making a move. It could've gone horribly wrong, you could've punched him in the face and told him you wouldn't want him if he was the last guy in the world. But the horrible embarrassment you'd expressed hurt even more than a painful blow could ever have been.

 _'It's kind of embarrassing'_ , that's what you'd said. That hurt him beyond belief, coming from you. The most important person to him, the one who'd been there for every weathered rejection, every heartbreak, every disgruntled trip to the university's frat cluster. You'd let Terushima into your life, had stuck with him during the most unpleasant times, and he was forever grateful for it.

All he'd ever wanted was to share everything with you, to give you every part of him.

And yeah, he could be pretty awful sometimes. You were always cleaning up after him, physically and emotionally. Maybe you gave him shit for leaving his dirty laundry all over the apartment, and yeah, you could be pretty harsh with him when he got in one of those piss-awful moods, lashing out at everything because he'd failed a test (even though he hadn't studied at all for it), but you were _there for him_.

You cared about him, he knew that. But he _loved_ you, more than you could know.

Maybe that was why he got so defensive with you, for fear that he'd slip up and confess his feelings, and you'd leave him.

Terushima bit his lip, nearly drawing blood.

He jerked his head up when he heard your room door open, eyes wide and searching as you emerged.

Your backpack was slung over your shoulder, and you carried a few heavy-looking textbooks. Your car keys dangled from your fingers, and they jingled as you moved towards the front door.

"Gonna go study with Akaashi." You said flatly, struggling slightly with the load of books as you unlocked the door. 

Terushima made a move to help you shoulder the weight of the stack, but you gave him a glare that sent him back to his awkward place in the kitchen, as he toed the knocked-over bucket once more and fidgeted.

"S-See you later." The bleach-blond managed, looking downtrodden.

You didn't look back. 

***

"Man, I don't know what to do!" 

Terushima's voice was higher-pitched than usual as he complained to Kuroo on the phone.

"Just tell her what you're feeling." 

The cat-like man's words held a degree of wisdom to them, but Terushima pushed that aside with a derisive snort.

"Tch, yeah right, that'll go over real well."

"From what Bokuto and Akaashi say, I think it would go over just fine."

"What do you mean?"

Kuroo hesitated, looking over at the owl-looking man, who was currently perched on a stool in their kitchen. Akaashi had left a few minutes previous, to meet you. 

Bokuto shrugged, saying "I guess you can tell him. All this pining is getting sad."

Kuroo nodded, returning his attention to the call, and a distraught Terushima.

"She likes you, man. Like _really_ likes you."

Terushima's jaw dropped.

"...Are you there, bro?" 

"Y-Yeah, sorry. Just...what?"

"She likes you back."

"...N-No, you must be mistaken." 

Terushima was in a state of shock and disbelief as he spoke, and Kuroo laughed on the other end.

"I'm not mistaken, it's painfully obvious."

"You're lying. There's no way." Terushima's voice was disbelieving, but his face slowly turned pinker by the second.

You liked him? How the hell was he supposed to realize that?

Were you just going to keep it to yourself until the day you died? And then Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo would all collectively approach him at your funeral and say solemnly, "Pity she never confessed" as they looked down at your dead body motionless in the casket? Was that what would have happened?!

"I-I gotta go." 

Kuroo sighed as Terushima hung up, turning to face Bokuto once more. The silver-haired man was taking notes on a difficult-looking chapter in his organic chemistry textbook, but looked up when Kuroo spoke.

"I hope they don't kill each other."

Bokuto nodded sagely, "Me too. I'm sure it'll be fine, though."

Another minute passed, as Kuroo stared at his darkened phone screen.

"Hey, rooster-head, I don't get this shit. You're my substitute smart-person while Akaashi's gone, so get over here and help me."

Bokuto grinned as he spoke, and Kuroo sighed deeply, rolling his eyes and getting up.

***

Terushima rushed through campus, weaving in and out of students, all laden with textbooks and backpacks. 

All he'd grabbed on his way out were his keys, and one glance at the parking lot by the apartment told him you'd taken the car. Technically, it was his car, but the pair of you shared everything from socks to textbooks to friends, so it was 'the car'.

It was lucky campus wasn't far from the apartment, but Terushima was certain you'd gone to the library, which was on the far side. Sighing, the man jogged his way past buildings and by the gym, where some girls from the volleyball team were practicing.

"Hey, Terushima!"

The man stopped with a screeching halt, looking over in confusion at the sound of his name.

A pretty redhead was waving to him from inside the gym, and her friends looked over at him after hearing her call. Smiling back, Terushima waved and said, "Hey, what's up?"

"Wanna practice with us?" She bit her lip, spinning the ball in her hand. 

Terushima blinked as he tried to remember her name, but couldn't for the life of him. She'd been in his... biology class? That was a guess at best, but he vaguely remembered her face.

"Ah, I can't right now. I'm looking for a friend."

A look of disappointment crossed the girl's face, souring her good looks. 

"Not even for a little bit?"

"Sorry, maybe another time."

"Is it that nerdy chick you're looking for? Your roommate? I'm sure that freak'll be fine for a few minutes." The way the girl's lips curled in disgust when she spoke of you irritated Terushima to no end. Scowling at her, the bleach-blond approached the trio, leaning in the doorway and plucking the ball out of the redhead's hands.

"So you can play for a bit?" Her face had lit up, and a sultry smile crossed her face as she reached out for him.

Giving her his typical shit-eating grin, Terushima tossed the ball as far away as he could in the opposite direction, watching it roll down the hill away from them.

"I don't play with people who shit-talk the love of my life."

The redhead let out a squawk of indignation, going red with anger as he walked away, laughing his ass off. Terushima wasn't always an asshole, but you made him a little crazy, sometimes. Hearing people talk you down right in front of him, trashing you for no actual reason, it made Terushima furious.

He left the gym behind, skirting around another building before getting in view of the large library. 

Three stories tall, with a basement-archive room, it was the largest in the area, and it was practically your haven. Terushima wouldn't be caught dead in there, except when you dragged him forcefully along, demanding he accompany you while you sift through varying research papers and academic catalogs.

It was usually boring as hell, but the blond found the time passed when he focused on you - the way your hair moved when you shifted in your seat, or the way your eyes flicked side to side as you scanned a page. And when you got really concentrated, you'd stick your tongue out to the side ever-so-slightly, and it was the cutest thing in the world to him.

Terushima wouldn't hesitate to poke you at every opportunity, eliciting an annoyed "What, Yuuji?" from you every time; you were adorable when you got annoyed with him, it made his heart flutter and pound consecutively, and he was surprised he hadn't had a palpitation from it.

Crossing the threshold of the library entrance made him realize exactly why he hated the environment; the quiet was suffocating, as though even a ghost's breath would snuff out the lights and render the library uninhabitable just like that. Terushima was the worst at being quiet, it was just so restricting. He always did his best when you took him with you, however, to keep the volume down and whisper instead.

The librarian at the desk, an aging woman with grey hair, gave him the stink-eye from her position at the far wall. Sheepishly smiling, Terushima waved as he recognized her as the day-time librarian, the one who'd chewed him out countless times for being too loud.

Instead of confronting her, he hurried into the shelves, coming out into the seating area; heavy, wooden tables littered the open space, and most were occupied with studying students, books splayed out in front of them as they copied facts and figures onto notepaper.

Terushima scanned the area for you, but there was no sign. He did, however, see Akaashi, looking coolly at a reference text in the corner. Rushing quietly over to the man, the blond slid into a chair and quickly got Akaashi's attention.

"What are you doing here?" Akaashi said quietly, a brow raised.

"Where is she?" Terushima asked, looking desperate.

"I don't think she really wants to see you right now." Akaashi looked apologetic, but firm in his words.

"Come on, man. I gotta apologize!" Terushima's voice raised slightly in his distress, and a group of students shushed him from a nearby table. "Oh, _you_ shush!" Terushima hissed back, giving them the finger.

Akaashi blinked at what just occurred in front of him, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Fine, she went to the archive room to get more resources."

"So the floor below us?" 

"Yeah, I think she's in the botany section. We're gathering evidence for a paper-" "-Thanks, bro!"

Akaashi's eye twitched at being cut off, but Terushima had already leapt up and was quietly rushing towards the staircase at the far side of the library. Sighing, the raven-haired man returned his focus to his reference book, lazily jotting down notes.

The archive room had lower ceilings than the above-ground floors of the library did, and a musty smell clung to the air. Terushima was sure bugs and worms had eaten through at least thirty percent of the room's contents, and no one would know the wiser.

The quiet was deafening, even when Terushima strained his ears to catch a snatch of your voice. Nothing there except high shelving units and silent books.

"Botany, botany..." Terushima murmured as he searched the shelves for the large, bold-print letters, "- ah, botany!" 

Rounding the corner, the bleach-blond man's face brightened upon seeing you at the far end of the row, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw someone was with you.

Who was that? 

A guy? 

You were laughing at something he said?

Terushima ducked behind the shelf, peeking only his head out to watch the pair of you interact. He clicked his tongue piercing against his teeth in frustration when he saw you laugh softly at something the unknown guy said; and the smile this dude gave you was radiant.

How long had you been here, talking so animatedly to this mystery guy?

Was it to punish him? For being an ass? Did you know he'd follow you all the way to the library, therefore deciding to pull along some guy to make him jealous?

Terushima bit down hard on his lip, whipping back around the shelf to stare into the open space of the archive room. He couldn't look anymore, it was too hard. This was just cruel, Terushima thought to himself. How could you? You said _he_ was your person, your best friend.

Sinking onto the ground, the bleach-blond man pulled his knees to his chest and sighed.

He could forget about confessing his feelings for you once and for all, it wasn't even worth it.

This wasn't any fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all asked for jealous Terushima, and here he is! Stay tuned for updates, they'll be coming slower since I've started fall classes. 
> 
> Hope you're enjoying so far, and drop a comment if you are! I enjoy reading them :)


	4. Chapter 4

Going to study at the library with Akaashi had been the best decision of the day, you later realized.

Being furious with Terushima had really dampened your mood, and you'd poked at a blank page of your notebook with a pen for a good five minutes before Akaashi sent you off to the archive-room, looking concerned but annoyed at the same time.

You'd told him everything, of course, but he was a little preoccupied with the looming deadline of a meta-analysis-driven research paper the pair of you were compiling; perhaps if you'd been in a more stable mood, you'd have been panicking over the assignment as well.

So instead, you dragged your feet as you went down the stairs one by one, sighing loudly in self-pity.

You hated it when you and Terushima fought. He was your best friend, and you spent the vast majority of your time with him; his absence always stuck out like a sore thumb, and it made you sad to think he wasn't dragging you along to some foreign environment you weren't completely comfortable with, but agreed to go along because you trusted him.

But he had called you a _neat freak_. It wasn't hard to be a neat freak when he was such a slob!

You had every right to be angry. 

Huffing, you entered the still air of the archive-room. It always felt like a tomb, the way the silence crushed you and the dust shivered as you passed.

Last time you came down here with Terushima, he'd sworn someone had died and was haunting the room.

"Hey there."

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of a voice near you, shrieking and darting away from it.

"Whoa, whoa! Sorry!"

The person emerged from the shelves, their familiarly-shaven head causing you to recognize them immediately.

"Tanaka!"

The addressed man smiled. 

"Didn't mean to scare you. How've you been, man?" 

You grinned at Tanaka, approaching to grab his hand and squeeze it. 

The pair of you were pretty good friends, and it had been a while since you'd seen each other. 

Tanaka was friends with one of Kuroo's old teammates from high school, Yamamoto. One thing led to another at a party, and you'd been puking your guts out in the bathroom. 

The shaven-head man had come in to puke, too, but realized the toilet was occupied and quickly turned to barf in the sink instead.

Upon surfacing, you'd noticed him and immediately gone to get him some water, but rushed back to continue puking in the toilet.

When all the throw-up was gone and flushed away, the pair of you had laughed together, going to get water and mouthwash.

"I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke, by the way." He'd said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Nice to meet you, sorry it had to be that way." You'd said, laughing.

Since then, you'd exchanged numbers and corresponded often.

You'd even had calculus with him last semester, and had almost failed it with him. Thank goodness Kuroo was in your guys' class too, and had tutored the pair of you extensively, not without complaining and demanding compensation (the pair of you had to buy him lunch nearly every day, but the B+ was worth it).

"Not bad." You said, snapping back to reality and trailing off.

Things _were_ pretty bad, at least they were with your best friend.

"Still rooming with Terushima?" Tanaka asked curiously, and you sighed. Impossible to avoid conversation about the bleach-blond, the pair of you were airtight and joined at the hip, and everyone seemed to know it.

"Yeah." You said glumly, and the man raised a brow.

"Everything alright with that?" 

"Not right now. We had a fight this morning." You said honestly, fidgeting with your hands.

"Ah, man. That's rough," Tanaka started, looking sympathetic, "-what about?"

You grimaced.

"Kind of a long story, but the _actual_ fight was about how messy he can be. Typical roommate stuff."

"What makes it a long story then?"

Laughing sheepishly, you rubbed the back of your neck.

"I won't get too into it, but something weird happened at a party last night -" "-Did ya puke on him?" Tanaka cut in, eyes alit with amusement.

You punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"No! I don't do that anymore - well, not as much. We, well, danced _on_ each other, if you know what I mean?" You ended your question with a lilt in your voice, trying to search for comprehension in Tanaka's face.

"Ahh, I see." 

The look on Tanaka's face was too amused, and you huffed, crossing your arms.

"I don't see what's so funny."

"It's just - you guys have always had that tension, you know?" 

"I can't say I do." You said defensively, narrowing your eyes. Tanaka sighed, laughing quietly. 

"After getting to know you guys, and especially after learning you two were living together, I automatically assumed you had the hots for each other."

You gawked at him.

"Really? I mean, I know I'm pretty obvious about my feelings without meaning to, but Yuuji? He doesn't feel the same way at all."

Tanaka scoffed.

"Terushima's an airhead sometimes, but he's not stupid enough to miss what's right in front of him."

You let out a snort of derision.

"Everyone seems to be saying that lately, everyone _but_ Yuuji."

"Like I said," Tanaka started, a wry smile on his face, "Terushima's an airhead sometimes."

You pondered over that as the man handed you a book you'd dropped, a grin on his face. You thanked him, and the pair of you made your way up the stairs and out of the archive room.

"Wanna grab a coffee?" Tanaka asked, punching you on the shoulder as you two resurfaced on the main floor; Akaashi could be seen in the distance, poring over a paper with a concentrated face. He looked constipated, and you laughed quietly.

"Uh yeah, sure! Let me grab Akaashi before he shits himself from stress."

Tanaka let out a barking laugh as you wound around the plethora of tables and chairs, and the librarian gave him the evil-eye. She really was an old hag, you thought, snickering as you tapped Akaashi on the shoulder.

"Hey, Keiji, wanna take a break?"

The tired man nodded, snapping a book shut and quickly shuffling his papers into an orderly pile.

"More than you know."

***

Terushima clicked his tongue in annoyance, arms folded tightly across his chest.

One leg was tossed over the other, and that same scowl was painted across the man's face.

Kuroo watched him warily, a brow raised. Bokuto merely bustled around the kitchen, making a mess that was supposed to end in muffins.

"So, it didn't go very well?" The dark-haired man asked carefully of Terushima, who huffed.

"No! She was talking to some guy." 

Kuroo blinked.

"But they were just talking, right?"

"Well, she was laughing, too!" 

Another irritated tongue-click, and Kuroo regretted letting the man into the apartment.

"What did-" "-I'm gonna lose her to some guy I don't even know!" Terushima cut the messy-haired man off unceremoniously, leaping up abruptly and wringing his hands.

Deep breaths, Kuroo thought to himself, closing his eyes. Deep breaths.

"Teru, get a grip!" Bokuto called from the kitchen, his bright-yellow apron blinding everyone to view it. "It's not all bad, you don't even know that she likes that guy!"

"Bokuto's right, you can't read into their interactions like that. It could've meant nothing, they might just be friends." Kuroo added, appreciating Bokuto's moment of wisdom.

"But she laughed at what he said," Terushima whined, "she only does that with me."

Kuroo's face went blank.

"Okay, now you're being ridiculous. If you can't calm the fuck down, then I can't help you."

Terushima winced at the venom in Kuroo's words, but sat down and shut his mouth.

"You're overthinking what happened." "But-" "Shut up. You're overthinking what happened, but you can still do one thing: confess."

The bleach-blond man gawked at his friend.

"Confess? Like hell!"

"Then you'll know for sure whether she likes you or not." Kuroo finished, sitting back in his chair and crossing his own arms.

Spluttering filled the apartment as Terushima tried to process the tall order.

Confess?! To you?! After watching you laugh with that guy? As if!

Kuroo stood, grabbing his messenger bag.

"W-Where are you going?" Terushima asked helplessly, throwing his arms up.

"To meet Kenma. Gonna play Halo."

And with a wave, Kuroo was out the door.

Terushima stared after him, a jumble of confusion and indignation. Bokuto bounded into the living room, carrying a tray of muffins.

"You really are overthinking this." He said sagely to Terushima, who sighed and put his head in his hands. 

"I can't just confess to her. That's suicidal. She'll blow up and kick me out of the apartment."

"How do you know?"

That caused Terushima's head to snap up, confusion in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know she'll do that?"

"I guess I don't, but-" "Then that's all there is to it. The way I see it, you've got two options: confess, or don't. It's completely up to you."

The silver-haired man grinned.

"If you wanna drink away your feelings instead, I'm always here to join. I'm sure Akaashi wants to let loose too, he and Y/N are dying in their Botany class right now."

Terushima smiled, the memory of you asleep at the library tables burned in his mind. He'd found you one time, after hours, slumped and using an open textbook as a pillow.

You worked yourself pretty hard, always challenging yourself with the hard classes, striving for your dream major.

And you cleaned the apartment on top of that.

"Hah, I'll be damned." 

"What?" Bokuto was the confused one now, at the gleam in Terushima's eye.

"She's pretty amazing, huh?"

"Who, Y/N?" 

A nod.

"She is pretty great." Bokuto said, grinning. "So how about it? Drinks tonight?" 

Terushima nodded slowly. He needed more time to figure all this out.

"Yeah, sounds good."

Drinks tonight sounded good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Things have been real hectic with school and work, but here's an update :) <3 Thank you for the support, it's what caused me to make this a series (as opposed to a short, lol)!


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